Musicians Tejas and Dinkar Dwivedi Parody Video Calls in New Musical ‘Conference Call’

While quite a number of people have been sharpening their skills during the lockdown, Mumbai-based musicians Tejas and Dinkar Dwivedi have used their time to write and direct a musical called Conference Call. Released earlier today, the rock opera according to the artists “dives into the endless video conference calls that have become the norm for most offices during the COVID-19 crisis, and parodies the advertising industry’s clichéd ‘digital content is king’ mantra… by making a piece of digital content.”

The musical opens with entering a video conference call and seeing Dwivedi playing the role of a boss telling his employees to go over a deck they’ve created before the client joins the meeting. We’re introduced to three of the employees: Tejas, singer-songwriter Kamakshi Khanna and bassist Adil Kurwa (from bands The Koniac Net and The Colour Compound). The three employees then break out into the first song of the musical, singing about how conference calls go on for way too long and how they just want to be left alone.

After Tejas makes a point about how the employees are artists too, Dwivedi stitches together some solid melodies. Singing about how all art is now just “content,” he’s backed by the mellifluous harmonies of singer-songwriter Aarifah Rebello. In the meantime, Tejas manages to escape the meeting for a brief video call with his girlfriend, singer-songwriter Mali. The lovebirds sing about missing each other over a breezy sonic canvas.

Once the client — played by singer-songwriter Jishnu Guha aka Short Round — joins the meeting, the employees make their pitch saying “fuck it,” intoning that they “hate this.” Guha then chimes in about wanting to take their campaign viral and by this point, Dwivedi too has had enough. All the employees or rather artists sing their final song, ending the call with crunchy guitar parts and a run-through of synths.

Folks just might find themselves relating to this piece of “content,” enjoying the light-hearted humor we need in these strange times. Next up, is the OST for Conference Call which will be up soon on streaming platforms. While the musical is currently digital, we “concur” that it would be great to watch it on stage at a theater — once the lockdown ends.

Watch ‘Conference Call’ below: